♪ >> hello and welcome to the "journal" here on dw. >> here's what's coming up on the show -- and the palestinians are already calling the united nations vote to update -- upgrade their status a victory, but will it make a difference on the ground? >> officials in britain say the behavior of the country's press is outrageous and call for new commissions. >> berlin poser reform tested as police use force against protesting farmers and monks.

for the palestinian leadership is set to receive huge support for united nations recognition of a palestinian state today, despite strong u.s. and israeli opposition. >> in europe is also divided on the move. a majority of the 27-nation european union including france and spain, is expected to back the palestinians. germany, on the other hand, said it would abstain, and britain is expected to do so as well. >> hundreds of palestinian flags flying in support of statehood. people await the outcome of the united nations vote with bated breath. many have been waiting for this for a long time. recognition of a palestinian state by the united nations. >> today is a very important day for the palestinian people. we are excited. we are happy. we think the international community will not be disappointed at this time.

i hope. >> palestinians are pushing to have their united nations status of credit to that of a so- called non member observer state, which does not include voting rights but brings with it the symbolic recognition of statehood. it would also mean the possibility of access to the international criminal court in the hague, but israel says the proposed resolution does not take its security requirements into account. the u.s. and several other countries plan to oppose the motion. germany and great britain will abstain, and that has caused disappointment. >> we would have preferred for the german vote to reflect public opinion that overwhelmingly supports the palestine request for upgraded status. >> germany's foreign minister describes it as a balanced and carefully considered decision and one that was not taken lightly. >> on the one hand, we see the palestinians justified desire

for their own state, but on the other hand, we recognize our special responsibility to israel and for peaceful and stable development in the region. >> the palestinians are counting on a 2/3 majority to pass the vote with support from european countries like france and spain and many developing countries. >> for the very latest, let's bring in our correspondent who is standing by at the united nations in new york. what about these positions of various countries? europe is far from united. >> nobody at the united nations was surprised that europeans had -- did not have a common stand. it is rare on topics like that that they have, but with a conflict which routes are so far back at a time when european nations were at war, with germany and france being perhaps

the best example, the germans have a special relationship with israel because of what happened with germany during the second world war, the cult -- the germans thought about saying no but then lowered it down to abstain because they wanted to be closer to the majority of european countries in what they vote for. van left the -- >> can you give us some perspective on the u.s. position? why are they so opposed to palestinian statehood? >> the u.s. are the closest ally of israel by a large margin, so they do not really have a choice. they have to support israel, especially the obama administration, that has the reputation of being more israel- unfriendly than previous administrations in a very israel-friendly country, especially obama, who does not have the best of relationships

with benjamin netanyahu, the israeli prime minister. they had to do this publicly. of course, they say that it is for different reasons. they say the only way to a palestinian state it is through direct negotiations. we all know that has not worked in the past years, especially the obama administration. the administration has failed, actually, to do anything for the peace process, and some are hoping it might change with the new administration. secretary clinton is leaving, and there are hopes that may be things will pick up again with her successor. >> thanks for the update. >> now for the view from jerusalem, let's cross over to our correspondent who is standing by for us there. the israeli prime minister has condemned the palestinian move. can you tell us more about how israel views this? >> i think israel is concerned that through this upgrade, palestinians could challenge israel legally and diplomatically now. in past weeks, we have heard the israeli government saying that this is a unilateral move that

violates the oslo court, that the house indians are aiming to join the international criminal court, and it preempts the united nations. i think for israel right now, the concern is on the diplomatic outcome as well, how countries will be voting, and the high level of support that palestinians would get from the international community. >> what about on the ground and the occupation? how will this change life for the palestinians? >> have asked many palestinians what they expect, and most said they are aware of the symbolic character, but there will still be settlements. there will still be the israeli occupation. basically, there will be no changes on the ground, but my impression is that many do support this. although some are skeptical

because there's no other choice, no peace process, whatever, but they hope this will at least give them some recognition of their rights eventually. >> thanks so much. to syria now. the country has gone offline. according to a firm that monitors global internet traffic, syrian public tv has claimed it is the work of terrorists, but activists speculate the syrian government is responsible. >> the civil conflict grinds on. this footage reportedly shows air strikes. outside damascus, rebels are reported to have blocked the road between the capital and its nearby airport. activists also said at least 10 people were killed in an air strike on a level. the body writing egypt's new constitution has been voting on the final draft. >> the assembly is signing off on that document bit by bit. they voted controversially to keep islamic law as the main source of legislation. most of the political opposition

is boycotting the assembly. the document aims to transfer more power to egypt's parliament. critics say it is being rammed through too hastily. critics have already gathered where the president is expected to make an announcement. british lawmakers are looking at new ways to regulate the press. the calls for tougher guidelines come after an enquiry's report on crimes committed by reporters as they sought out sensational news stories. >> the inquiry picked up its work after 10 reporters were arrested at rupert murdoch's "news of the world" newspaper. among the charges, bribing the police. the inquiry has found the violations span decades. >> as the inquiry findings were read, activists gathered to protest what they termed robert murdoch's media mafia. the report found that reporters had routinely -- routinely packed into phones of

celebrities. it has led to scores of arrests and some criminal charges. as a result, he said -- than of the press needs to establish a new regulatory body which is truly independent of industry leaders and of government and of politicians. >> but many, including media and members of david cameron's conservative party, feel such legislation would interfere with freedom of the press. in an address to the house of commons, cameron said he opposed such a lot as well. >> we should, i believe, be wary of any legislation that has the intention to in french free speech and a free press. >> he insists the regulations do not amount to statutory regulation of the press, but the debate over his findings is clearly only just beginning.

>> german political parties have been debating weather to approve the next payment of bailout cash to grease. the discussion comes ahead of a vote in parliament tomorrow. there's little doubt about the outcome. athens will indeed get the money it needs, particularly now that germany's opposition social democrats say they plan to back the deal, though not without some reservations. >> this is the package is necessary to keep grease afloat but it is not a long-term solution. >> despite the eurozone debt crisis and weakening growth in europe, the job market in germany still looks good. figures released today show the number of jobless in november was slightly lower than the previous month at just under 3 million people. the unemployment rate remains unchanged at 6.5%. economists had expected the number of unemployed to increase. let's get a check now on how the markets reacted to all of that news.

our correspondent sent us this report from frankfurt. >> for economists, unemployment data is always something like looking into the past, but nevertheless, investors appreciated these numbers, which went down pretty well here on the frankfurt floor because the unemployment rate showed that the german economy is still in very good shape. although economists are saying that the german economy also has a long way to go until it has bottomed out because the export business will be more difficult in the near future because of weak other economies, but consumption in germany is going up. >> let's get a closer look at those market numbers. germany's blue-chip dax was higher on the day by about 0.8%, closing at a nice, round number. the euro stoxx 50 also higher.

the dow jones industrial average as high as well. the bureau is trading for $ 1.2973. >> a german bank is in trouble with the law. prosecutors raided 13 of the bank's locations, including its munich headquarters, in search of evidence of tax evasion. the bank is suspected of cheating the state out of 124 million euros. share transactions between 2006 and 2008 are the focus of the probe. the bank is not alone. investigators are currently looking into similar incidents of alleged tax evasion at other institutions. >> there's a lot of money in going bankrupt. that is if you are the one winding up a big company that goes bust. >> a german law firm, for example, are doing just that for lehman brothers here in germany, and today, they've been trying to justify their massive fees.

>> lehman brothers creditors have not been happy with their demands, but there's good news for them as well. lehman's assets in germany turned out to be much higher than first thought. >> risky speculation on the u.s. housing market triggered the global financial crisis as well as the downfall of lehman brothers, once the world's fourth largest investment bank. in september 2008, the company collapsed and went bankrupt. since then, its assets have been liquidated and not only in the u.s. lehman brothers had a huge network in the financial world. subsidiaries were present in more than 40 countries, including germany. the bankruptcy administrator of lehman's german unit has found around 15 billion euros of assets. one of the biggest creditors as a german bank which hopes to receive 5.6 billion euros.

the deposit guarantee fund, another leading creditor, is also set to receive billions. lehman's assets are far higher than previously estimated. it is germany's biggest ever bankruptcy proceedings. for the past four years, around 100 attorneys and bankruptcy specialists have been working on it. so far, they've spent 720,000 hours on the case. one estimate showed total fees could be as high as 800 million euros, but the administrator says they will not need that much. meanwhile, hedge funds are hoping for a bigger slice of the cake. many bought claims from other creditors at bargain prices after lehman brothers filed for bankruptcy, and now they hope to make a handsome profit. >> we're going to take a short break. when we come back, after decades of waiting, justice is on its way for the argentinian families of civilians brutally tortured and murdered by soldiers. >> all that and more after the

break.

>> thanks for staying with us. >> welcome back. the spirit of freedom is spreading inside the long crest country of burma with protesters taking to the streets today. >> riot police moved in to break up a three-month protest against a large copper mine run by a chinese company. witnesses said truckloads of police arrived to move up demonstrators. activists say almost 50 people were injured. >> the right to protest was part of burma's transition toward reforms, but critics say the latest police action shows just how skin deep those reactions are. >> many of the injured were buddhist monks. the police stormed the

protesters camps under cover of night. peaceful prayer is marred by violence. some demonstrators were still asleep when the crackdown began. >> 25 months and another man were injured and are in hospital. >> the opposition leader arrived, planning to meet with demonstrators. the mine is backed by a chinese firm, one of many that have set up shop in burma in recent years. the expansion has bred growing resentment among local workers. protesters say nearly 3200 hectares of land have been illegally confiscated for the project. china says everything is above board. >> relocation, compensation, environmental protection, and other issues with the project were jointly settled through negotiations and meet myanmar's laws and regulations. >> the project has also

overshadowed the government's reform efforts. burma has garnered global praise for its transformation of late, but the controversy could hurt government efforts to improve its image abroad. >> justice has been slow to arrive in argentina for crimes committed by soldiers against civilians, but it is on its way. >> a major trial has opened into some of the more notorious acts of murder, torture, and kidnapping committed during the military dictatorship. at half of >> flights of prisoners thrown out of planes over the sea where they fell to their deaths. most were never found. >> the trial is expected to last two years and hear evidence from as many as 900 witnesses. human rights organizations and families of victims say it is a process that is long overdue. >> today, we are celebrating because at our age, we did not think we would still be part of these historic days.

>> 68 accused will have to answer to charges of kidnapping, torture, and murder. among them are eight men who piloted so-called death flights. and they worked at a school which allegedly imprisoned and killed thousands of regime opponents. detainees who survived tell us how people just disappeared. >> the guards told them they were being given a tranquilizer because they were going on a long journey, so they did not make any trouble. >> it was a one-week trip. the prisoners were allegedly thrown out of planes into the open sea. their bodies would never be found. human rights groups estimate some 30,000 people were killed between 1976 and 1983, although the fate of many who disappeared will never be known. the current trial may provide some closure to their friends and families.

>> coming up, who won germany's most prestigious technology award? >> and some bundesliga action. >> first, a look at other stores making the news. >> a french court overturned convictions against continental airlines related to the crash of the concord superliner, which killed more than 100 people. the court had earlier blamed continental for a piece of metal that fell on to the paris airport runway. >> in iraq, at least 38 people have been killed and more than 100 injured after a series of bombings in the south of the country. the attacks targeted she of pilgrims as well as local security forces. >> a moscow court has been video showing punk band pussy riot protesting -- banned video for being insulting to orthodox

members. two members are serving sentences for hooliganism in the church. >> trial for the former yugoslavia has acquitted the former yugoslavian prime minister in a trial for crimes against humanity. the court said there was no evidence to support accusations. serbs have been protesting along their countries' border in response to that judgment. now to a breakthrough in technology that could help millions of people who depend on hearing aids in their everyday lives. >> if you are one of them, you will know that hearing aids are not much at helping pick out a single voice in a busy room. >> that's true. now scientists say they have found the answer, and they have one of germany's most prestigious technology price -- prize for their work. >> people with a healthy sense of hearing have no trouble determining where sounds are coming from, but hearing impairment can damage that ability and conventional hearing

aids are no help. for researchers, it has long been a challenge. hearing has to deal with sound coming from all different directions, and we have to identify individual sources of sound. our sense of hearing is efficient at doing that, and until now, we were not able to replicate that with technology. >> scientists have created something they call a binaural hearing aid. it links the hearing aids in both the where's years -- wearer's ears and the brain detect the signal just as it would in some one was held the hearing. current hearing aids can pick of sound coming from just one direction, but our natural sense of hearing can pick up the sound we are interested in from among many. we believe we can replicate that within 10 years. >> scientists hope to see a time when hearing it's like that are as common as reading glasses.

>> time for sports news now. bayern munich has the title of league champions for the 18th time. >> no one could catch them before they went to winter break. >> now they are gearing up for a much tougher opponent. >> it was not picture-perfect, but it got the job done. this was the decisive moment. that meant a penalty kick in the 11th minute. a short time later, the defender drew a much deserved red card for pulling another player to the ground. it appeared the match was over, but the team pulled together and went on a 10-man attack.

but they put the final nail in the coffin 10 minutes before time. a long pass made it 2-0. bayern are certain to be top when the bundesliga heads into its winter break. >> first, along and precise pass, then the fire of a 48- meter volley. that will go down as one of the season's more unforgettable goals. just before halftime, the match when to rest. not nearly as pretty, but it counts just the same period ok, let's look now at how this affects the standings with three more matches scheduled before the winter break. it claimed an invincible lead.

>> in the bottom half, freiburg dropped to attend -- to tenth. all right, well, seven germans are getting out their winter gear at the moment. the first heavy snows of the season have fallen in bavaria and some other parts of germany. >> but that was nothing compared to the snow falls in russia that are bundled up for this next report. >> winter came early to moscow and brought an unusual amount of snow with it. the city dispatched within 10,000 snowplows, but it was not enough. rush-hour traffic backed up for miles and moved at a snail's pace. 50 centimeters of fresh snow are expected by friday. some are pleased. others less so. >> it makes you feel happy. it reminds you of the new year and holidays. >> horrible. i think it is horrible.

dirt and pedals everywhere. i do not like it. >> in central europe, things look similar. a cold front is moving from the south and east across germany. in bavaria, slick roads caused morning accidents. meteorologists say temperatures will remain cold and snow will blanket germany by the weekend -- perfect weather to visit the christmas markets. >> speaking of christmas, there is less than a month to go now -- can you believe it? before the holiday. the season would not be complete without the christmas tree at rockefeller center. the mayor himself hit the switch at the ceremony, which drew thousands of spectators. >> it is a tradition that dates all the way back to 1933. like every year, there were plenty of stars on hand to get the city in the holiday spirit.

>> ♪ and have yourself a very merry christmas now right now ♪ >> a little bit early, i think, but it is on its way. >> it is time. >> when we come back in the next bulletin, we will have more at the palestinian vote at the u.n. in new york. join us for that. >> our correspondent is standing by at the united nations. we will have the very latest. stay with us. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--